Territorial Instincts
by Molten Saffire
Summary: Sometimes, boundaries just...have...to be crossed...
1. Chapter 1

Territorial Instincts

…Sometimes, boundaries just…have… to be crossed…

Disclaimer: I never have, and never will, have any claims on anything in Mutant X. a.k.a. I claim nothing in this story so don't bother looking for another disclaimer on any of the other chapters. 

Chapter 1

AFRICA, Uncharted Lands

A scream pierced through the stillness of the night. A figure emerged from a dark sea of bodies, walking away from the oncoming dawn. Just before she turned around a bend and permanently out of sight, the figure turned around. Long, dark hair fluttered in a non-existent breeze, and her lips curved into a sad smile as she saw the destruction all around her. For a moment, her haunted, pain-filled eyes glowed yellow, and a sound similar to a growl escaped her throat. 

"Never again. Not even if I live a thousand million years. My life is my own, and I will never be imprisoned again."

Her eyes swept across the land, her voice soft, but tinted with steel.

"Let this be a lesson. STAY OUT OF MY TERRITORY!"

With those last words, wild, erratic roars filled every corner of the vast plain. More eyes appeared despite the darkness. 

As the figure finally blended into the dark night, a stillness came, a vast, unnatural stillness only broken by a half-dozen screams as cats began to defend what the humans had sought to destroy. 

SANCTUARY, 7 AM 

Shalimar groaned, pressing a pillow over her head as the alarm began to beep. Since cat DNA had been combined with her human DNA, Shalimar was naturally nocturnal, and that made her very grumpy in the morning. As the alarm persisted to continue with its annoying habit of ringing loudly, Shalimar swiped at it with her hand, sending it flying across the room, where it hit the wall with a loud thump and landed in a heap on the floor. Shalimar savored the blessed silence, lifting the pillow off her face and curling up into a ball to go back to sleep. 

Just as she was drifting off to dreamland, her alarm clock chose to resume its now erratic beeping. Her eyes flashed yellow as she embraced her feral side, and Shalimar jumped out of bed with amazing speed to pick her alarm clock up off the floor, turn it off, and throw it into the opposite wall. Springs and metal flew from the horrible creation as it hit her pillow. She sighed. Now she needed to get a new alarm clock.

 15 minutes later, she was in her robe, eating some pancakes and bacon, when Brennan walked in. 

"Feeling a bit grumpy this morning, Shal, or did you have a little falling out with an old lover?" Brennan asked, heading towards the fridge. He had heard the entire scenario.

"I'm still debating whether or not I did the right thing. I mean, you were just right across the hall. If I'd killed you instead, I wouldn't have to play a game of 20 questions at an ungodly hour in the morning," Shalimar said sarcastically with a scowl.

"Definitely not a morning person," he said, sitting across from her with a grilled cheese sandwich. "But look at it this way. You live for conflict, and, you have to admit, the clock did put up a good fight. I thought it almost had you beat for a second there."

"Definitely made the wrong choice. Should have killed you in your sleep instead. At least then I could have gotten some rest."

Brennan raised his head, mischief shining in his eyes. "Believe me, Shalimar, if you ever decide to slip into my bedroom in the middle of the night, rest will be the last thing flying through that head of yours."

Finished with her food, Shalimar put her dishes in the sink. She met his eyes. "You know, I might just take you up on that," she said, before stalking out of the room and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Emma and Jesse entered the kitchen moments after Shalimar left. 

"Ran into Shalimar in the hall. She feeling a little grumpy this morning?" Jesse asked.

"Broke another alarm clock," Brennan mumbled, still trying to figure out what Shalimar had meant.

"She's become a favorite at the electronics store. Not a single person can figure out why she needs so many alarm clocks. They figure she's obsessed with one of them. I heard a rumor the odds were three to one that it was the manager," Emma added, sitting down.

"That old guy?" Jesse just laughed. "I can see her going out with him as easy as…well, Shalimar going out with one of us."

Suddenly, Brennan stood up, took his dishes to the sink, and left the same way Shalimar had.

Emma and Jesse just looked at one another, Jesse with a bewildered look on his face, Emma trying to hide a small smile. 

"Was it something I said?" Jesse asked. Emma just shook her head, her shoulders shaking from contained laughter.

Brennan walked down the hall, pulling his fingers through his hair. Ever since Shalimar made that comment this morning, he couldn't get her out of his head. He thought of her as just a friend…didn't he? But his mind kept wandering, and he couldn't keep himself from thinking of what would happen if Shalimar ever chose to take him up on his offer. 

He headed towards the training room. He wanted to work out the tension the only way he knew how. By fighting. 

When he got to the room, Shalimar was already there, punching a punching bag with all her might. Suddenly, anger filled him as he trained all his frustration on her.

"You know, one of these days that thing's gonna fight back, and then you're gonna get your ass kicked," he practically growled at her as he went towards her side of the room.

"And men say we're moody. At least we have an excuse." She looked at him, tilting her head a bit. "What's your's?"

"I just think you're a little off your game this morning, that's all" He taunted her, ripping apart the punching bag Shalimar had just been working on.

 "Ouch. And that was my favorite punching bag, too," Shalimar said. "Now, what's really on your mind?" She crouched down in a fighting stance, ready for him to attack her. As always, he didn't disappoint. 

"What makes you think something's up?" He said, trying to land a punch on the quickly moving Shalimar.

"Oh, I don't know. It could be that scowl on your face, that look in your eye, or maybe…it's the fact that right now you want to beat the shit out of me."

He distracted her with his punching fists, semi-listening to her talk. When he figured she was distracted enough, he kicked her feet out from under her. 

She landed, dazed, with a small thud. Shalimar winced slightly as she felt her shoulder hit the ground first and pain shot up her arm. Brennan noticed her discomfort. 

"Dammit," he swore softly to himself, feeling all the anger leave, guilty panic taking its place. "Are you hurt?"

She whimpered slightly, sounding for all the world like a wounded kitty-kat. He quickly walked towards her, concern in his eyes.

She kicked his feet out from under him, bending her back up and over so she was right above him, straddling his chest. He looked up to see her above his body, mischief in her eyes.

"Now what in the world…could possibly be up with you?" Shalimar asked, holding him down with pure strength. His breath hitched in his chest. She had no idea what she was doing to him, and it was driving him crazy.

"Maybe…you have a crush on somebody?" she asked. For a moment he panicked. Did she think he had feelings for her? She was just a friend. Nothing more.

Looking at his stricken face, Shalimar took his silence as an affirmative. Her smile grew wider as she leaned forward, bringing her face closer to his until her lips were just inches from his own. "I knew it," she whispered excitedly. Brennan felt a little knot begin to twist in his stomach. How could she know anything when he wasn't even sure himself?

"You have feelings for Emma," she said. "I knew there was something between you two. Have you told her yet?"

Brennan just blinked. Emma? She thought he had feelings for Emma? He began to laugh. 

Shalimar just stared at him. Her grip relaxed. She didn't know what to do with this laughing maniac she had created. "So maybe its not Emma." She said, trying to read him. 

"Nope," Brennan said, a smile still on his face. Shalimar couldn't help it; she began to smile along with him. She felt a small flutter in her stomach, and for the first time, she realized just exactly what position they were in.  

She moved to get off him, but fell back down as she realized his shirt had gotten stuck on the zipper of her jacket. She heard a small chuckle, and her eyes flew up to his face, glaring unmercifully. Her eyes softened almost instantly, though, once they met his. He stopped laughing, staring back up at the two golden orbs that had captured his attention. He sat up suddenly, and without quite knowing how it happened, he slid his arms around her waist and held her to his chest. 

Shalimar knew she should leave, but suddenly she found she had lost all control of her body. Her eyes had glazed over, and she knew they were feral yellow instead of the usual honey gold. She froze, feeling like a cat caught in a spotlight by a hunter.

She was his. He watched as her eyes changed to feral yellow orbs, and he knew he owned her. For just this minute, for just this moment, there was nothing but the two of them, and for once, he was the hunter, and she, the most precious prize.

"Brennan," she breathed. "I don't think we sh-"

Suddenly his lips were on hers, his arms around her waist, hers around his neck. The kiss was slow, gentle, but quickly became passionate and harsh as Brennan pulled her even closer, leaving no room between them. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and settled down, forcing her tongue into his mouth. He welcomed it, challenged it, and nearly bit it off in shock as he felt her hands crawl under his shirt and over his chest.

She laughed low in her throat. His heart began to quicken at the sound, and he tried to pull her even closer, pulling her down over him on the floor. He sank his fingers into her hair, the golden locks wild and silky in his hands. He was going crazy, and he was determined to torture her a bit before he was through with her.

"There you two are," Adam said, walking in with Jesse and Emma. Brennan and Shalimar jumped apart, or well, tried to. Brennan's shirt was still stuck to her zipper, forcing her to remain where she was, right on top of Brennan. "I was hoping to fi-"

Adam stopped, finally comprehending what he was seeing. "Ah, if you will excuse us," he said, turning around and backing out of the room, expecting Emma and Jesse to follow behind him.

"Looks like you got a little wild cat on your hands, Brennan," Jesse said, not moving a muscle. 

"We, ah, well…" Shalimar stammered, trying to think of an excuse, her eyes reverting back to normal. "We were just…"

"We were just getting a little bit of training in," Brennan said, carefully getting up with Shalimar right beside him. His arm was still around her waist, supporting her. He didn't trust her to stand on her own yet. 

"I can see that," Jesse said, grinning broadly. "What exactly were you two training for, anyway?"

"Jesse, stop," Emma said from right behind him. 

"Brennan's shirt just got stuck on my zipper when I kicked his ass," Shalimar said with a little smile, regaining her composure and pushing Brennan's arm away. 

"When you!"

"Was there any point in particular in your looking for us, or do you want us to just stay standing here until the end of the day?" Shalimar interrupted Brennan, not wanting him to contradict her story.

"There's a meeting in the lab in about 20 minutes," Emma offered, pulling Jesse out the door. She looked Shalimar in the eye, smirking a little. "Although, I'm sure Adam will understand if the two of you are a little late."

Finally alone, Shalimar turned back to Brennan. The mood was ruined, and she refused to meet his eyes. Instead, she concentrated on the thread, releasing it from her zipper.

Brennan watched her. He could tell she was trembling. As soon as the thread was free, she began to back away, but he would never let her walk away from him. Catching her chin with one of his hands, he forced her to look at his face. He was surprised at the careful control he found there, and the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes.

"Hey," he said, gathering her in his arms. "At least now you know I don't have feelings for Emma."

Shalimar laughed at that, burying her face into his chest. He felt a drop of liquid spread on his shirt, and realized a single tear had escaped her grip. Once again, he was the sympathetic friend.

"Your turn," he said, holding her to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing important," she said, struggling out of his grip. "20 minutes," she said, backing away from him, a smirk on her face. "Don't be late." She left a bewildered Brennan in the middle of the room.

"Women. I swear, one day I'm giving them up altogether," he said, leaving the training room empty.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

SANCTUARY

Adam, Jesse, and Emma waited, surprised when Brennan came into the meeting without Shalimar right behind him.

"Lost your girlfriend already?" Jesse asked.

"Hey, you know, I learned something pretty important today," Brennan said, taking a seat. "Women are completely, absolutely impossible to understand."

Jesse just laughed. "I hear ya on that one."

"Well, you're about to learn another lesson," Adam said, butting in. "With the experience of all my years, I learned something just as important." He walked towards them, handing them each a pamphlet. "Never, ever talk about 'women' when a lady is in the room."

For the first time since the conversation started, Brennan and Jesse realized that Emma was glaring at all of them, even Adam. All three suddenly remembered that in Emma's case, looks really could kill you.

"Well boys, you had to learn that lesson one way or another," Shalimar said, finally stepping into the room. "Just feel lucky that you're not missing any badly needed organs right about now."

Taking her in with his eyes, Brennan disagreed. He needed a new heart fast. His was suddenly going about 100 miles an hour, and he was certain that wasn't good for his system. 

Walking over to her chair, which was closest to his, Brennan couldn't help but keep his eyes on her. She'd changed into low-cut, skin-tight jeans that hugged her hips and looked like they were going to fall off any minute. As for her top…he could just imagine how much cloth had to be cut off before that creation was put on the rack. It was a hot crimson that fired the imagination and made his blood run hot and cold at the same time. It was just as tight as the pants, revealing and flaunting without going too far. It almost showed…but not quite. 

In her hands she held the last thing he could have ever imagined. A whip. His eyes narrowed. What was she doing with that?

Seeing his eyes on her, she looked at Emma, and the two exchanged what could only be described as evil, knowing smiles. Jesse was also looking at Shalimar in shock, and Brennan wanted to deck him right there and then, for trespassing on his territory. 

"You going hunting tonight, Shalimar? Or is the outfit simply for our benefit?" Jesse asked. He knew something was going on between Shal and Brennan. He was satisfied to just sit down and watch all the action. It was actually very considerate of Shal, torturing Brennan over a low blaze. It kept things interesting.

"What, you don't like?" she answered, stretching like a cat. Jesse almost chuckled to himself. It looks like Shalimar was going to catch her prey.

"Actually," he said, looking her up and down slowly, "I think it's-"

"Not really on tonight's agenda," Brennan interrupted rudely. Anger was simmering in his eyes. "Can we just finish this so we can get out of here?" Jesse got the message. Shalimar was off limits. Of course, a little thing like that never stopped him.

"We have information on a new mutant that Genomex is very interested in. Her name's Katrina. No one really knows anything about her, and she's only briefly mentioned in the database. All we now is that she's a feline feral, like Shalimar. Unfortunately, she was last seen about 10 years ago in the African safari. She was 13 at the time, making her 23 now. She could be anywhere."

"So how do we find her?" Emma asked, flipping through her pamphlet. 

"Well, right now we have nothing. Hopefully, that'll change in the next 24 hours. I've called some people I know in Africa and asked them to be on the lookout for this girl. I couldn't really give them that much information, but they said they'd get back to me if they find anything."

"So basically, we got ourselves a name, a power, a continent," Jesse said. "At least we know that Genomex is having as hard a time finding her as we are. This should be a snap."

"Not exactly," Adam said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brennan said, tearing his eyes off Shalimar.

"It means, they already know where she is. Unfortunately, that particular piece of information is only passing around by word of mouth to the people who need to know."

"So, how, exactly, do you mean for us to save her?" Shalimar asked. "We can't just go off to Africa without any clue about where to start."

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Adam said, ignoring the groans that swept across the room. "Unless we get any more information, we leave tomorrow afternoon. I suggest you get some rest." He began to leave the room. "Oh, and pack light clothes. It's supposed to be very hot in Africa." The door shut behind him.

 "So Shal," Jesse said, leaning back on his chair and ignoring Brennan's angry look. "What's with the whip?"

"Just a little something I'm experimenting with. One of my old acquaintances offered to teach me how to use this thing. Personally, I don't see how it could do much damage, but he assures me he'll make it worth my time."

Brennan only picked out one word. "He?"

"Yeah. Meeting him tonight. Good thing we're not leaving until tomorrow. Anyway," She said, getting up. "I'm going to go get ready. See you all tomorrow morning. Oh," she said, turning back around. "Don't wait up."

"Don't worry," Jesse said, smiling. He wished he could wait, but he had a feeling Brennan would try to tear him to pieces. "I won't."

"Shalimar," Emma yelled, following Shalimar out into the hallway. "What exactly's going on between you and Brennan? You could've cooked a pig with all the sparks flying between you two."

"Nothing's going on, that's what."

Emma gave her a puzzled look. "But what about what happened in the training room?"

"Look," Shalimar said, turning around to face Emma. "We were just fighting. As for the kiss-"

"Kiss?" Emma asked. "Go on."

Shalimar growled. "It just happened, alright? One moment I had him pinned, the next thing I knew, I was on his lap, and my tongue was in his mouth." She growled again, her eyes turning feral in frustration. "And its never going to happen again, so Brennan had better enjoyed it."

"You're driving him crazy, you know that?"

"What? How am I driving him crazy?" Shalimar asked Emma, bewildered.

"Well, for starters, your clothes aren't exactly what you usually wear."

Shalimar laughed. "You think what I'm _wearing_ would bother Brennan? He goes through women like a car goes through an abandoned desert. He's hot, fast, and he never looks back. He's seen worse clothes than this a hundred times before. Besides, the two of us are just friends."

"Then why the outfit?" Emma asked.

"It's for Jeremy's sake," Shalimar rolled her eyes. "He's just gonna show me how to use this thing, that's all," she frowned at the whip. "He said it would be easier to teach me if my clothes were skin-tight."

"Well, I for one can tell you that the outfit is definitely making him see red. And don't you think the two of you have already crossed the friendship line?"

"I've gone out with Brennan's type before," Shalimar said. "And that experience is not something I want to go through again."

"Don't you think Brennan might be a little different?" Emma asked. It was just her luck that the people around here were bullheaded. You'd think someone would listen to the local empath. 

For once, Shalimar could think of no comeback. Emma continued, "Give him a chance. You have nothing to lose." They stopped, seeing as they were in front of Shalimar's room. Giving her a sympathetic smile, Emma left for her own room. 

"You're wrong," Shalimar whispered, leaning back against her closed door. "I have everything to lose." 

She thought back to this afternoon, the kiss still fresh in her mind. She'd lost control of herself, both human and feline. She hadn't done that in such a long time, and loss of that control daunted her. 

Brennan would just have to find himself another girl.

AFRICA, Grashna Town

Halfway across the world, another feral had her own problems to deal with. She hadn't been into town for over 2 years now, but not much had really changed. She'd outgrown all her clothes, and needed cloth to make more. 

Ignoring the whispers she left in her wake, the mysterious beauty headed for the one vender she knew very well.

Hearing the quickly stifled sounds around her, Hanna, the cloth merchant, looked up sharply. She found herself facing two deadly yellow eyes, which quickly reverted to their normal dark color. "Give me however much I can get from this," the girl said, throwing a ruby fragment onto the table. The vendor barely looked at it, keeping her eyes on the girl. She gathered random pieces of cloth into a basket slowly, silently. As she was handing the basket to the young girl, the vendor grabbed her hand, leaning forward slightly so the girl could hear, but no one else.

"They're looking for you," the vendor said. "All across Africa, they are asking for a dark-haired beauty. The one with the yellow eyes, and the ability to tame the wild cats of the safari. Don't worry," the vendor gave a small smile. "They will not learn anything here. Not from me, anyway."

She put the ruby fragment in the middle of the basket.

"No charge. Take my advice, and keep out of sight. Tell your cats to watch for anything not meant to be on the safari." She let the girl go. 

Looking the vendor straight in the eyes, the girl took the vendor's weathered palm, and dropped the ruby onto it, curling the fingers around the precious stone. 

"For the cloth, and for the warning. I do not take something for nothing." The girl hesitated. "Thank you. I appreciate your silence."

Turning her back on the vender, the girl disappeared into the crowd.

"A strange child, but she is no devil's servant. May the gods keep your soul, young one." The vendor turned back to her goods.


End file.
